Top grocery retailer Booths has begun a consultation process with their colleagues at the Ripon store relating to a forthcoming transfer of the property lease for the store to Tesco.
The move follows Marks and Spencer significantly increasing the size of its food store at the St Michael’s Retail Park on the edge of the Cathedral city.
Ripon is also well provided for with supermarkets, with it having a large Sainsbury’s in the City Centre. It also has an Aldi away from the town centre.
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However, it does not have a Tesco, the nearest ones being at Harrogate and Thirsk.
A spokesperson told the Press: “Since opening in 2009 we have worked hard to refine the offer and improve performance at Ripon, but the challenges of significantly increased operating costs have meant that we cannot see a future where the store will be profitable under the Booths model.
“It is anticipated that all jobs will be protected and transferred to Tesco during this consultation process.
“Closing any store is a very difficult decision however we are working to protect all jobs in this process. Booths would like to thank all colleagues and customers for their support since the store opened over 16 years ago.”
The spokesperson added: “We would also like to provide some reassurance that we have no current plans to exit any of our other stores.”
The move leaves the Lancashire based upmarket retailer, often known as ‘The Waitrose of the North’, with just two outlets in Yorkshire- at Ilkley and Settle.
Booths’ other stores are scattered across Lancashire, Cumbria, and Cheshire as well as West and North Yorkshire.
